[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 109 (Thursday, June 6, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38945-38948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-14124]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.351B]


The Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children and Youth Program; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002

    Purpose of Program: The Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children 
and Youth Program, authorized under Subpart 15 of Part D of Title V of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by Public 
Law

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107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, supports school-
community partnership programs designed to improve the educational 
performance of at-risk children by providing arts education services 
and programs, especially programs incorporating arts education 
standards.
    Eligible Applicants: A local educational agency (LEA), acting on 
behalf of an individual school or schools in which 75 percent or more 
of the children enrolled in such school(s) are from low-income families 
based on data used in determining a school's eligibility to operate a 
schoolwide program pursuant to Title I Section 1114 of the ESEA, in 
partnership with at least one institution of higher education, museum, 
local arts agency, or cultural entity that is accessible to individuals 
within the school district of such school(s) and that has a history of 
providing quality services to the community. Such entities may include: 
(i) Nonprofit institutions of higher education, museums, libraries, 
performing, presenting and exhibiting arts organizations, literary arts 
organizations, State and local arts organizations, cultural 
institutions, and zoological and botanical organizations; or (ii) 
private for-profit entities with a history of training children and 
youth in the arts. To be eligible, such partnerships shall serve: (1) 
Students enrolled in schools participating or eligible to participate 
in a schoolwide program under ESEA Title I Section 1114 and, to the 
extent practicable, the families of such students; (2) out-of-school 
children and youth at risk of disadvantages resulting from teenage 
parenting, substance abuse, recent migration, disability, limited 
English proficiency, illiteracy, being the child of a teenage parent, 
living in a single parent household, or dropping out of school; or (3) 
any combination of in-school and out-of-school at-risk children and 
youth. Any school or schools to be served through grants received under 
this program must submit evidence for inclusion in the grant 
application to the Secretary demonstrating that the school or schools 
meet the poverty criteria described above. Applicants may submit 
records kept for the purpose of ESEA Title I that provide proof of 
eligibility for each school to be served or to participate in the 
partnership.


    Note: The LEA must serve as the fiscal agent for the program.


    Applications Available: June 6, 2002.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 22, 2002.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 19, 2002.
    Available funds: Approximately $4,000,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 15-20.
    Estimated Size of Awards: $200,000-$400,000.
    Average Size of Awards: $300,000.
    Project Period: up to 36 months.


    Note: The Department of Education is not bound by any estimates 
in this notice. Funding for the second and third years is subject to 
the availability of funds and the approval of continuation awards 
(34 CFR 75.253).


    General Requirements:
    Page Limit Requirement: The program narrative is limited to no more 
than 40 pages. The page limit applies to the narrative section only, 
however, all of the application narrative must be included in the 
narrative section. If the narrative section of an application exceeds 
the page limitation, the application will not be reviewed. In addition, 
the following standards are required: (1) Each ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'' 
(on one side only) with one inch margins (top, bottom, and sides); (2) 
double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in 
the application narrative including titles, headings, footnotes, 
quotations, and captions as well as all text in charts, tables, 
figures, and graphs; and (3) use a font that is either 12-point or 
larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    Project Directors' Meeting: The projects funded under this priority 
are required to budget for a two-day project directors' meeting in 
Washington, DC.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 81, 
82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
    E-mail Notification of Intent to Apply for Funding: The Department 
will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing grant 
applications if it has a better understanding of the number of entities 
that intend to apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the 
Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant to notify the 
Department by e-mail that it intends to submit an application for 
funding. The Secretary requests that this e-mail notification be sent 
no later than July 8, 2002. The e-mail notification should be sent to 
Ms. Madeline Baggett at [email protected]. Applicants that fail 
to provide this e-mail notification may still apply for funding.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Partnership Purposes

    At-risk children and youth are generally less likely to have access 
to and participate in arts education programs, which are often 
inadequately funded in high-poverty rural and urban areas. Therefore, 
the Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children and Youth Program will 
support the development of school-community partnership programs that 
coordinate and integrate local, State, and Federal resources for arts 
education and enrichment into a service delivery system for at-risk 
children and youth. The projects funded under this program will support 
the following program outcomes for both in- and out-of-school at-risk 
children and youth:
    Increased access to and participation in high-quality, standards-
based arts education programs and enrichment activities linked to 
academic improvement, including performance on State, locally-
developed, and standardized tests;
    Improved student academic performance through participation in 
high-quality arts education programs; and Increased range in the types 
of arts education programs and activities available, for example, a 
variety of music programs in addition to drama and dance.
    At the end of the project period, the Department will consider 
disseminating information on successful approaches for developing, 
enhancing, or expanding cultural partnerships designed to improve the 
educational performance of at-risk children and youth through 
comprehensive and coordinated educational programs and services. This 
will include evidence of improved educational achievement (i.e., test 
scores or other academic measures) of at-risk students, along with 
information regarding the arts education programs and methodologies 
linked to such improvements.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

    In accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), 
it is the practice of the Secretary to offer interested parties the 
opportunity to comment on proposed rules. Section 437(d)(1) of the 
General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), however, allows the Secretary 
to exempt rules governing the first competition under a new or 
substantially revised program authority (20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1)). This 
competition is the first Cultural Partnerships competition under the 
reauthorized Arts in Education program as amended by Public Law 107-
110, the No Child Left Behind Act

[[Page 38947]]

of 2001, and therefore qualifies for this exemption. The Secretary, in 
accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, has decided to forego public 
comment in order to ensure timely grant awards. These rules will apply 
to the FY 2002 grant competition only.
    Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary gives 
an absolute priority to partnership programs that focus school and 
cultural resources in the community on coordinated arts education 
services to address the needs of at-risk middle and high school-aged 
children and youth both in- and out-of-school. In addition, the project 
must fully address all of the desired outcomes for at-risk children and 
youth as described under the Partnership Purposes section of this 
notice.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary will fund under this 
competition only applicants that meet the absolute priority.
    Coordination Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(1) of the 
authorizing statute the Secretary requires that each applicant funded 
under this competition coordinate, to the extent practicable, each 
project or program carried out with such assistance with appropriate 
activities of public or private cultural agencies, institutions, and 
organizations, including museums, arts education associations, 
libraries, and theaters.
    Supplement, Not Supplant, Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(2) of 
the authorizing statute, the Secretary requires that assistance 
provided under this program be used only to supplement, and not to 
supplant, other assistance or funds made available from non-Federal 
sources for the activities assisted under this subpart.
    Selection Criteria: The Secretary will use the following selection 
criteria to evaluate applications under this competition. The maximum 
score for all of the selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum 
score for each criterion is indicated in parenthesis with the 
criterion. The criteria are as follows:
    (a) Significance (15 Points). (1) The Secretary considers the 
significance of the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the 
Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build 
local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the 
needs of the target population.
    (ii) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely 
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in 
teaching and learning.
    (b) Improvement in the Educational Achievement of At-Risk Youth (15 
points). Under 34 CFR 75.209(a)(1)(ii), the Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the manner in which the partnership will 
improve the educational achievement of at-risk youth through services 
designed to: (1) Enhance student academic performance in core academic 
subjects and on standardized tests; and (2) foster the academic 
potential of at-risk students.
    (c) Quality of the Project Design (20 points). (1) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the project design of the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the project design, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the proposed project meets the priority or 
priorities established for the competition.
    (ii) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable 
and appropriate to the needs of the intended recipients of the project 
services.
    (iii) The extent to which the design for implementing and 
evaluating the proposed project will result in information to guide 
possible replication of project activities or strategies, including 
information about the effectiveness of the approach or strategies 
employed by the project.
    (d) Quality of Project Personnel (10 points). (1) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed 
project.
    (2) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary 
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been under-represented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability.
    (3) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of the project director.
    (ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of key project personnel.
    (iii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of project consultants or subcontractors.
    (e) Adequacy of Resources (10 points). (1) The Secretary considers 
the adequacy of resources for the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, 
supplies, and other resources, from the lead applicant organization.
    (ii) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the 
proposed project.
    (iii) The potential for continued support of the project after 
Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated 
commitment of appropriate entities to such support.
    (f) Quality of the Management Plan (15 points). (1) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the 
proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, time lines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.
    (ii) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring continuous feedback 
and continuous improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
    (iii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project 
director and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate 
to meet the objectives of the proposed project.
    (iv) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives 
are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project.
    (g) Quality of the Project Evaluation (15 points). (1) The 
Secretary considers the quality of the project evaluation.
    (2) In determining the quality of the project evaluation, the 
Secretary considers one or more of the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include objective 
performance measures that are clearly related to the intended outcomes 
of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative data to 
the extent possible.
    (ii) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.
    For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), 
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-
7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD) you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.

[[Page 38948]]

    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/about/ordering.jsp. Or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.351B.
    For Technical Assistance on Program Requirements Contact: Madeline 
E. Baggett, U.S. Department of Education, FB-6, Room 3E228, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-6140. Telephone (202) 260-
2502 or via internet: [email protected].

Electronic Access To This Document

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    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request using the contact information provided under For 
Applications Contact.


    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.



    Authority: Program Authority:
    20 U.S.C. 7271.

    Dated: May 31, 2002.
Susan B. Neuman,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-14124 Filed 6-5-02; 8:45 am]
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